Houston, we have a problem.

My wife came home from her running club this morning and announced we were going to have to start watching X-factor so she can join in the conversations about it!

My reply of 'Tell them it's vacuous twaddle and I don't waste my time watching it ' seems not to have been that well received. She has never shown any interest in it or the like before ( barring Strictly which she does enjoy)

What I need is some sort of synopsis of the show, preferably accessable online so I don't have to watch the bloody thing.

Does she have a smartphone? She could download the app like I did. I like to keep up with the gossip during the week leading up to the shows. Adds a bit of an edge knowing what has been going on behind the scenes.

It's a show which often displays a surprising level of talent and is very popular with the masses, but is sneered at by pretentious insecure middle-class snobs. Often it is contemptuously dismissed by people who have never seen, who aren't sure what it's about, or why they don't like it. HTH

I used to feel the same about football. It often seemed that was the only topic of conversation at work or in the pub. Me? I couldn't care less about it, but not being able to join in made you out to be some sort of social outcast (or gay).

Sunday night is one of the few times we usually get to sit down together with the kids in bed and no work commitments and I have watched it before but it holds no thrall over me. I would prefer not to watch it and can live with being called a middle class pretentious snob for not liking it and failing to understand why so many do like it.

2 men and 2 women sit behind a desk in a large tv studios,i ex boyband member, 1 married to some pop singer, one older man, who likes boy bands,and some woman who just flaps her hands and says daft things.

various singers alledgedly then ply their skils,some can sing, some are just eye candy, and some have potential, the 4 judges then give their elequent responces to what some dont call singing, more kareoke.

Then tonight some guests who sometimes can sing appear, the ones who cant are shown in segments through the show, while guillible and sily people phone a premium rate number to vote for them to stay on the show, cue lots of tears, lots of man hugging od dermot and by dermot.and lots of long advert breaks.

It's a show which often displays a surprising level of talent and is very popular with the masses, but is sneered at by pretentious insecure middle-class snobs. Often it is contemptuously dismissed by people who have never seen, who aren't sure what it's about, or why they don't like it. HTH

Orrrrrrr it's exploitative television designed to both mock and sneer at people with little singing ability and place people with singing ability on an almighty well marketed pedestal whilst simultaneously making a mockery of an entire industry all in the interest of lining the pockets of one hideous, bloated man.

I have watched it because my wife and daughter like it. It's mainly a programme about young people going home in taxis to tell a horde of people within their home address some news or other. These features are punctuated by the occasional song.

It's a show which often displays a surprising level of talent and is very popular with the masses, but is sneered at by pretentious insecure middle-class snobs. Often it is contemptuously dismissed by people who have never seen, who aren't sure what it's about, or why they don't like it. HTH

Get a laptop. Use that in the living room. Say "yes dear" when she stops speaking. Put your etymotic earphones in and amuse yourself as you see fit. Though no hand action especially if there are kids in the room.

Normally there's one who's been in nick for prostitution or drug dealing and is thrown out on the eve of the live shows, one who has succeeded despite a serious illness in childhood/disability, one with a sick mum/gran/cat, a mouthy one who can't sing but has been put through anyway. And possibly some idiot who also can't sing but is 'zany'.